I prayed to God in the same position for over an hour. Just when I was starting to think my legs were getting numb, it happened.

“Rain! It’s raining!”

“Really?”

Upon hearing the news that rain was coming, I immediately stopped praying and turned my gaze to the window. Sure enough, rain was falling outside.

It wasn’t light drizzle that would stop after a brief moment. It was a torrential downpour falling like bamboo stalks. Soon cheers erupted throughout the imperial palace, and people’s gazes turned toward me.

“The saintess has returned!”

They all bowed their heads toward me in unison, showing their respect.

Since it was an awkward situation, I didn’t know how to respond. When I seemed confused, they took me to a lounge, and upon arriving there, I was shocked to see my face reflected in the glass window.

Huh?

“Do you have a mirror by any chance?”

A maid nearby immediately brought me a mirror, and the moment I looked in it, I was stunned. I had opened my eyes in an unknown place, and my face was also that of a stranger.

That’s when I realized it. I had possessed someone else’s body.

But I could tell I wasn’t a noble since I wasn’t wearing a fancy dress. How was the owner of this body, who didn’t look like nobility, being revered as a saintess?

“Maybe it’s because I used too much holy power. I can’t remember anything, so could you tell me how I ended up in the imperial palace?”

“Well, that is…”

The maid made an expression showing it was difficult to speak. It seemed there might be some unspeakable circumstances regarding the body’s owner.

“It’s okay. Whatever it is, please tell me honestly.”

“I…”

The maid hesitated for a moment, glanced at me cautiously, then simply closed her mouth. So I had no choice but to secretly eavesdrop on the maids’ conversations to understand the situation.

According to what they said, the name of the body I had possessed was ‘Stella,’ who had suddenly appeared at the imperial court claiming to be a saintess out of nowhere.

Normally they would have ignored her, but the imperial court first showed her to the high priest and confirmed she possessed holy power.

Though she hadn’t yet been officially recognized as a saintess, the imperial court treated her as one, and from then on she began acting arrogantly.

The reason the imperial court left her alone was because light emanated from her hands, albeit faintly.

While they were observing her like this, the body’s owner had been acting up on her own when she fell into water and nearly died. The moment she died, I seemed to have possessed this body.

Right around the time I possessed her, Stella’s body apparently floated up and glowed. A maid who was watching over her was surprised by this sight and called for people.

Everyone in the imperial palace moved her to a room together and waited until I woke up.

Since that incident, I had been consistently called a saintess. And I had been working hard to fulfill my role as a saintess.

“The saintess’s existence also serves as a spiritual pillar for the empire’s people.”

“While rebuilding a chaotic and desolate country is the imperial court’s responsibility, becoming hope in desperate situations is the saintess’s role.”

“The saintess must dedicate her body to complete her mission for the empire’s people.”

Though the order was reversed, after making it rain, I learned about the mindset required of a saintess. And about the history and current situation of the Alpha Empire.

The harsh situation of continuing sweltering heat and monsters constantly invading the borders. To solve this, the imperial court made efforts in various ways.

First, they sent knights and soldiers to block the monsters and tried to remove poison from poisonous plants. They also helped plant emergency crops and released reserve food supplies, but since these were distributed first to those with money, there were people who were neglected, so it didn’t help everyone.

Moreover, since the land was gradually drying up anyway, the problem couldn’t be solved with temporary measures.

In such a state, when sweet rain poured down, I must have been like a savior to them.

My sacrifice wasn’t limited to that. I went on inspections to assess situations and prayed earnestly for the empire’s people. Then barriers formed and the awakened monsters began falling asleep again.

When I prayed, the growth rate of plants was also exceptional. While it would normally take 3-5 years for trees to grow lushly, using holy power cut that time in half. I also prayed so that emergency crops that had been planted earlier but weren’t growing well could flourish.

“You truly are a saintess.”

“You are our benefactor.”

As a result, I came to be called the ‘saintess blessed by God’ by the people of the Alpha Empire. Many praised me, and the more I showed my outstanding abilities, the more trust in the imperial court also increased.

Most people worshipped and revered me, but not everyone did. There were also people who viewed me unfavorably.

This was probably due to the body’s original owner acting up a lot before I possessed her. Since she had done things, it might be natural for people to have prejudices against me.

So I worked hard to win people’s favor and tried to clear their misunderstandings someday by treating them with a sincere heart. That’s why I worked diligently as a saintess, thinking that someday they would understand my true feelings.

Thanks to my wholehearted efforts for three years, the Alpha Empire had completely changed. Land that had been parched dry from drought now had new sprouts growing and had become forests with lush leaves.

My work was gradually disappearing. Hadn’t I been running around in all directions, barely getting any sleep at night? I was relieved to see the results.

Three years was a short time to completely revive a ruined empire, but I could say I had at least put out the urgent fires.

Now that peace had come, I would marry the crown prince and finally live a somewhat comfortable life. I was certain that would happen…

* * *

I trudged powerlessly to the audience chamber. My mood wasn’t good, but I had to faithfully fulfill my role. When I arrived there, I saw people who had been waiting for me.

“Oh, has the saintess arrived?”

I also possessed healing abilities. So after eating lunch, during the afternoon time, I would heal people who had difficulty living long due to illness.

I hadn’t known about this ability from the beginning.

‘Saintess, I have an incurable disease. If you hold my hand, I think I’ll feel much better, so please help me.’

I held his hand just thinking I was granting a final wish, but then I learned where he was hurting and how to heal it.

‘It doesn’t hurt anymore!’

That’s when I realized I had healing abilities. I could sense dark energy from parts that were sick or weak. When I flowed holy power to those parts, the dark energy gradually began to disappear, and then their painful areas were healed.

From then on, the number of people lining up to meet me during this time increased. They ranged from nobles to commoners. Since my ability to heal them per day was limited, I generally saw those in critical condition first.

After that, unless something special happened, my daily life was always the same routine.

I woke up at 4 AM, washed my body clean, then meditated. I prayed to God together with the maids who assisted me. After breakfast, work continued until afternoon – meeting empire citizens who came to see me, treating serious illnesses, or responding to their letters.

Of course, I didn’t forget to pray intermittently, and in the remaining time after dinner, I would make potions. When I infused holy power, that water transformed into medicine.

It wasn’t effective enough to save dying people. However, it could cure minor illnesses like colds or body aches. After being overwhelmed with such work, I would go to bed at 10 o’clock.

My break time in between didn’t even amount to an hour. There was no time to rest even after meals.

Shouldn’t they at least guarantee a humane lifestyle? Weren’t they working me too hard? I thought this while working, yet the number of people who viewed me unfavorably was actually increasing.

After my meeting time with the empire’s citizens ended and I was moving back to the chapel, I heard murmuring voices directed at me. They were nobles who frequented the imperial palace.

“Her holy power seems to have been temporary.”

They mocked me loudly, seemingly wanting me to hear. The attitude of people who had praised me as the benefactor who saved the empire until recently changed after they noticed my holy power wasn’t what it used to be.

I was gradually feeling this too.

I didn’t know when it started, but my holy power was diminishing. When rain didn’t fall on time and I prayed, torrential downpours used to fall, but lately when I prayed, light drizzle would fall briefly and then stop.